TELUS series focuses on Smith

Cassidy’s Stevie Smith is regarded as one of the best downhill riders on the international circuit, and TELUS has chosen to devote one episode of its three-part series on the Crankworx mountain biking community to his story.

Over the course of the summer, Smith, who became the first Canadian to win the World Cup overall in 2013, was sidelined with an ankle injury and forced to watch the 2014 Crankworx Whistler Canadian Open Downhill from the sidelines after winning in 2012 and 2013. The six-minute TELUS spot devoted to Smith, “How Far Does The Trail Go?”, tells the story of his successes and of the bumps along the way as he talks to the videographers while watching his friends compete in the festival.

As the two-time winner of the Crankworx Whistler Canadian Open Downhill, Smith never stops nudging past his own limits and this year, the 25-year-old Cassidy native paid the price for riding the edge, according to a press release from TELUS.

After winning the 2014 Canadian downhill championships in Kamloops, Smith suffered his second ankle injury of the year, forcing him to watch the Crankworx event, rather than defend his title.

“Being injured is tough for me. I see everybody here having a great time and it’s just, [I’m] jealous I guess,” Smith, who shares his story and his thoughts on mountain biking as he watches his friends compete, says in the video.

Smith was at the very first Crankworx in 2004 as a Juvenile rider and has climbed the ranks of the World Cup circuit by refusing to take it easy.

“As soon as you surpass one of your goals, that experience is no longer anything to you,” says Smith. “Back in the day, I just wanted to qualify for World Cup. Nowadays, if I’m not No. 1, it’s disappointing.”

Smith’s story is the final segment in a three-part program made possible by a TELUS Optik Local Community Programming Production Support grant. The series highlights the many ways Crankworx, which is considered the largest mountain bike festival in the world and attracts 30,000 spectators to Whistler each summer, draws new mountain bike enthusiasts into the fold, allowing riders of all levels and abilities to improve their skills, connect with the scene and push the boundaries of what is possible to do on a bike.

The first episode of the Crankworx series, “Brad’s Big Day,” featured Brad Bethune, an amateur rider from Whistler who competed in the 2014 Canadian Open Enduro. The second spot, “8 Awesome Things With the Goldstones,” featured a family of mountain bike enthusiasts who participate in Kidsworx and the Crankworx festival as a family. All three episodes are available for free on demand on TELUS Optik TV.

You can also watch Smith’s episode online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEeF44KwqII.